TaraMorgana controls everything. My hands, my voice, my smile. And no one knows. They look at me and see Tara, the quiet, observant girl still adjusting to life in the pack. They don’t see the monster inside me, puppeteering my every move.She laughs inside my mind, her amusement like dark silk wrapping around me, suffocating and smooth. You struggle too much. Just accept that you’re the instrument with which I’ll regain my rightful life. Relax and enjoy the show.I want to claw at her, tear her away from me, but all I can do is watch as my body moves without my consent. I greet others, I nod when spoken to, I walk around the pack house. Even Arlo no longer seems to suspect anything is amiss. I hate how well she mimics me. How easily she wears me like a second skin. My only consolation is that I’m still here. I don’t know how long I’ll be able to hang on, but for now, I’m still aware. I get my chance in the dead of night. Morgana is complacent, entertained by the thrill of playing
HildaArlo may have fucked me into submission last night, but he should know dirty tricks and blackmail don’t count. Even if thinking about it does still make my core contract and sends lightning whizzing through my body. I’ll do everything in my power to stay safe, but we don’t have time for me to stay out of the investigation. I know what my capabilities are and sitting quietly while our child could be in danger, does not fall into that category.I found mention of an elder during my hours of research in the library and that’s finally brought me here. To this dwelling that can barely be called a cottage. It’s tiny and blends in with its surroundings so well I walked past it four times before finally seeing it.The door opens when I knock and seated near the hearth is an old woman, her silvered hair draped in long, unbound waves over her frail shoulders. She looks up as I enter, and her pale, cloudy eyes seem to pierce straight through me.“I was wondering when you’d come,” she mu
Hilda The candlelight flickers, casting long shadows across the room. Arlo stands near the window, his arms crossed tightly over his chest, his jaw clenched. He hasn’t spoken in minutes, but I can feel the storm brewing within him.“I’m not asking for permission to be involved with this hunt anymore,” I say quietly, though the tension in my voice betrays my own frustration. “I’m telling you what I’ve learned. What we’re up against and that our child is in danger. You can’t keep me from fighting back.”He exhales sharply, turning to face me, his golden eyes burning with barely contained anger. “I know you can’t Hilda, I understand your instinct to protect. I fucking know the overwhelming desire to keep the ones I love most out of danger. Are you sure our…daughter,” despite everything I can hear the wonder in his voice, “Is the reason Morgana is after you?”“I don’t know why she wants her, not exactly. But I know it’s not just about revenge. There’s something more.”Arlo runs a hand t
TaraI’ve learned to listen in silence. Morgana has a habit of talking to herself when she’s alone and as long as I keep myself small, she forgets I’m around.I’ve come to understand that she loves the sound of her own voice. She revels in her own scheming, in the whispers of her own mind. There’s nothing more entertaining to her than listening to her own musings.But tonight, she makes a mistake. She underestimates me. I know I’m small and weak in comparison to her, but I’m not gone yet.“I tire of these games, Astaroth,” Morgana mutters under her breath, pacing within the confines of my room. She doesn’t bother using my voice when she’s alone. This is all her, seductive and cruel. “I know what you want. Blood. You think this sacrifice will be enough to grant you permanent manifestation.”I press deeper into the shadows of my own mind, struggling to remain conscious within my own body, but so small she won’t realize I’m here. This is invaluable and dangerous information.Morgana scof
CereliaThe dream doesn’t feel like a dream. It feels like a prophecy. It may be the first one I’ve ever experienced but I can feel the portentousness deep in my bones.I stand in a vast, endless void, watching shadows twist and churn like a living storm. There are whispers, soft, insidious things slithering through the darkness. Then, as if the world itself bends to an unseen force, the shadows part, revealing two figures.One is draped in a cloak darker than the void itself, his features obscured, but his presence suffocating. The other is a woman with a cruel smile and eyes that burn with hunger. Without ever having seen her, I know this is Morgana.Between them is a child. Golden-eyed, radiant with potential, but so very fragile. So heartbreakingly small in the presence of such evil. The figures speak, their voices curling through the air like smoke.“She is the key,” Morgana says, reaching for the child, “A vessel worthy of my rebirth.” The cloaked figure speaks with a voice that
HildaThe weight in my chest is suffocating. Tara is gone. And it’s my fault. I should have trusted my instincts the moment I noticed something was wrong.She was a member of my pack and as her Luna I should have protected her, even if doing so wasn’t imperative to my daughter’s well-being.Arlo stands at my side, his arms crossed, tension lining his face as we send scouts to track Tara’s movements. The orders go out swiftly. Search every possible path, trace every lingering scent. Try and bring her back without hurting her.I want to be out there with them, running through the trees, searching for her myself. But I know I’d only slow them down.Frustration knots in my stomach, and Arlo notices. He always does. “We’ll find her,” he says, his voice firm. “Don’t do that thing where you blame yourself for everything.”I let out a short, bitter laugh. “You’re right. It’s completely unreasonable to feel guilty that I ignored every warning sign.” Arlo sighs, stepping closer. “Hilda-”“I don
Arlo The scent is faint but unmistakable. Tara was here. Hilda and I found no new clues this morning, but my nose has led me back here again tonight.I crouch low to the ground, inhaling deeply, my wolf raging beneath my skin. The remnants of her scent cling to the ancient temple ruins, barely perceptible, nearly washed away by the damp earth and overgrowth.She didn’t linger here for long, but she was here recently. Recently enough that my instincts scream at me to keep searching.Clenching my fists, I push myself upright, exhaling slowly through my nose. I can’t afford to lose control. I need to keep my wits about me in spite of the fact that every step I take feels like I'm chasing ghosts, and the weight pressing down on my chest is threatening to crack me open from the inside.She’s getting away. And I can’t let that happen. Moonlight spills through the broken arches of the temple, casting jagged shadows along the cracked stone. I hate this place.The magic that lingers here is t
PercyThe weight of responsibility settles heavily on my shoulders as I watch the sun begin to rise over the pack grounds. Golden light stretches across the land, but it does little to push away the tension clinging to the air.Arlo is gone, tracking Tara, and until he returns, it’s on me to ensure the pack remains protected and nothing gets within sniffing distance of our Luna.Hilda stands a few feet away, arms wrapped around herself, staring at the tree line as though she can will Arlo back through sheer determination.She looks exhausted. Dark circles mar the delicate skin beneath her eyes, and she’s favoring her right side slightly. I make a mental note to make sure she rests soon, even though I know she’ll fight me on it.The responsibility I feel isn’t just for the pack. It’s for her, too. For my Luna. For my friend. My heavily pregnant and stubborn as hell friend.A presence shifts beside me, and I know before turning that it’s Nixie. The crisp smell of morning dew clings to h
AshTara won’t look at me. It must sicken her to see me in such a dishevelled state with Isadora. I tried to convince her we should bathe and get dressed first, but I suspect she wants Tara to know what we’ve been up to.I’ve never had any trouble sexually pleasing my partners. I’m an inventive, attentive and insatiable lover under normal circumstances. Last night was the first time since becoming human that I had to close my eyes and pretend.I imagined Tara was the one in bed with me. The one I kissed. The one who sucked my cock with such exuberance. The one I fucked until she was exhausted and passed out in my arms.I didn’t offer Isadora pleasure with my tongue this time. Exceptionally talented as I am at cunnilingus, I know she was hoping I would. I haven’t had the pleasure of tasting Tara, but I know she would burst on my tongue like some exotic fruit. Intoxicating my senses. I couldn’t suckle Isadora’s clit and keep lying to myself about who I was with.“Tell me how to break th
TaraI feel violated and ill when I wake up the following morning. Ash certainly doesn’t have human stamina, based on the information gleaned from the books I’ve read. Human males apparently require a period of recovery between one bout of mating and the next.“Thank you for the books,” I tell the serving girl when she brings my breakfast. She glances at the bedside table and her eyes briefly meet mine before darting to the floor again. “That one’s good, but the other one is better,” she says quietly.So these aren’t from Redgrave at all. “I’ll make sure to hide them when I have visitors,” I promise her quietly. She lowers her head, “I don’t think she’ll know. She doesn’t pay much attention to the house. You can just say you found them in a drawer.”“My name is Tara,” I tell her gently. She looks at me again with a faint smile, “I know. The mistress cursed your name repeatedly when you took Sir Ash from her before.” Right. I wonder how Redgrave believes I managed that. It’s all to t
TaraAsh seems to have accelerated healing abilities like we do. He told me he’s never been sick and he doesn’t think he ages, but he has no idea if that’s pure luck or if he’s not as human as he seems.The black eye took a bit longer to heal than the lacerations from the whipping, but it was still much faster than a human would have mended.I wish I could see him. Just for a minute. Just to be sure he’s in the same shape physically that I am. Logically I know he has to be, but I need to see with my own eyes that he’s fine. Or at least as fine as it’s possible to be while pretending to be enchanted by a completely delusional woman.If Isadora Redgrave hadn’t shown up when she did, I know exactly what would have happened to me next in that cage and I despise having to feel grateful to her, but I can’t deny that I am. I’d rather be beaten for hours on end than sexually violated by Malcolm.I know the only reason I’m being kept in this beautiful room and fed like royalty is because
RedgraveAs much as I despise Tara, seeing her spread-eagled, bloody and whimpering in pain doesn’t bring me any pleasure. I’m not a cat, who needs to play with my food before I deal the final blow.“Do you no longer need her to get you across the border?” I ask with a raised brow. Malcolm frowns as though the question makes no sense. “I do. She’s not dead,” he responds sullenly.“I gather she attacked you?” His jaw clenches, “What are you getting at, Isadora?” he asks irritably. “I’m trying to understand why you’re torturing her. What’s the point?”“She came here to spy on us before. My men only caught her this time because she was chasing down your precious Ash. She may have important information that could impact the mission,” he informs me dryly. Like I’m a silly child asking stupid questions. I wonder whether he knows that the thin layer of ice that he’s standing on has already started to crack.“Have you asked her?” I enquire. I can hear his teeth grinding together before he
MalcolmEither I was incredibly unlucky with the first werewolf I captured, or this one is very weak for some reason. Maybe because she’s linked to the human.I need to know whether most of them are more like Arlo, or like her. It’s going to make a huge difference in the size of the force I need. Arlo bent steel bars and wouldn’t go down until he was peppered with tranquillizer darts.I wouldn’t have stepped into Arlo’s cage for all the money in the world. Not even when he’d just been knocked out. This little female is completely different. One shot puts her down and she hasn’t attempted to shift once.Maybe I don’t even need to keep putting up with Redgrave. I’ve acquired an arsenal of weapons because Arlo refused to bloody die. Something tells me if I shoot this one in the head, she’ll expire immediately.As tempted as I am to test out my theory, I need her to get me into the werewolves’ territory. Her screams are like the most beautiful symphony. Ringing out loudly with each e
TaraArlo’s advice definitely helped. I’ve been drifting in and out of consciousness from the one dart that hit me, but I never fully went under. I’m abruptly pulled from my dreamy state when pain explodes in my head and my left eye starts throbbing.Ash. What are they doing to him? I want to hurl myself at the bars of the cage surrounding me and demand that they set him free, but we have to maintain our cover.“What the hell are you yipping about?” one of the guards stationed around my prison asks. I hadn’t realized I was making small sounds of distress.Based on the sheer volume of armed guards surrounding me, it’s clear King Arlo gave them a lot of trouble. Pride swells in my chest. He truly is a worthy leader for our pack.“Did she just hit herself?” one of the others asked, gaping at what must be significant bruising around my eye.“Crazy bitch,” the first guy mutters. “I’ve been watching her, she didn’t do it to herself. Her head rocked back and then the bruise was there.
AshFuck. This is not supposed to be happening. What the hell do I do now? I’ve never met Malcolm, but by all accounts he’s the scum of the earth and has no conscience. And he knows I’m not a mythical hero. He planted the bullshit that made Redgrave believe I was some kind of Messiah.He may just decide to kill us for the hell of it. No. I can’t think like that. He needs Tara to get across the border. That doesn’t mean he won’t hurt her though. Or kill me, if he doesn’t believe we’re linked. The problem is, we actually are.Cerelia cast a spell before we left, binding our life forces together. I’ll suffer any harm done to Tara, and she’ll die if they kill me.It was meant to keep Tara safe from Redgrave, and provide further proof that she controls me. I would happily offer my own life if it would save Tara, but it’s currently impossible.The men who grabbed me pulled a thick burlap sack over my head. I can’t see anything and even hearing is problematic. I know they put Tara in
TaraAsh is being extremely huffy as we walk toward the border. “I could have done this on my own. There’s absolutely no reason for you to be putting yourself in danger.”“Aside from the multitude of reasons already discussed in the war council?” I ask, matching his level of peevishness without any trouble. “And don’t suggest again that you could have steered them towards a specific area to cross the border, because it would have been too suspicious and risky.”He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, like I’m the one giving him a headache, instead of the other way around.“Look, I know you want to leave the forest and get back to Raventon as soon as possible. This is the best way for us to speed up the timeline of Malcolm’s attack and control the outcome. I’m sure this is why Scarlett called you here and you can leave as soon as the threat is neutralized.”“Dammit, Tara! This isn’t about me getting back to my life in the city, it’s about your safety. I don’t want you to be hurt. I
Arlo“I don’t like it,” I say, shaking my head.“For once we agree on something,” Ash huffs, crossing his arms over his chest. “You’re not going out there like some lamb to the slaughter,” he tells Tara with finality.“I don’t remember asking for your permission,” Tara tells him softly and Ash’s head jerks back like she just slapped him.“Nobody likes it, but we have to act first,” she continues in her quiet, but determined tone. “We have no idea what Malcolm is up to. If we can control when they cross the border, Cerelia can do her thing. Humans don’t know about our ability to mind link.”“We weren’t able to use the mind link while you were in the city,” I point out grimly. Tara nods, “I know. I’ve spoken to Cerelia and she agrees that it’s probably because of the magical barrier at the border. The moment we come across, I can warn you, so you’ll have at least a 30 minute headstart.”“I could communicate with Arlo when Malcolm had him,” Hilda says, a shiver of distaste running down